Late rally falls short, Raiders lose 66-58 to Polo Marcos

The Raiders were coming into the game with a 5-7 record and in need of a victory to get their season on track.

However, the Marcos had a different plan, their defense led to several early AFC turnovers and they quickly jumped out to a 12-2 lead. The Raiders got their offense back on track and were able to close out the first quarter trailing 16-9.

After trailing at halftime by 42-28, AFC went on a 10-1 run in the fourth quarter that cut the lead to a 53-52 deficit. However, defensive pressure and poor shooting by the Raiders let the Marcos stretch their lead back out and ended up with a 66-58 victory.

Leading scorers for the Raiders were Troy Mairs with 17 points, Bret Gittleson with nine, Ermir Ramadani with ten, Graye Freeman with nine, and Matt Gendusa with seven points.

Defensive stand outs were: Nick McClanahan with six steals and Paul Rod with three steals, Troy Mairs led with 12 rebounds, Ermir Ramadani with nine and Paul Rod with seven rebounds.

The Raiders play Jan. 15 at Forreston and then participate in the Martin Luther King Holiday tournament in South Beloit from Jan.19-21.

The schedule is as follows Jan. 19 the Raiders play North Boone, Jan.20 against East Dubuque, and Jan. 21st vs. Stockton.